Year of the Cicadas (VR)

Year of the Cicadas is a virtual reality experience about my journey after the loss of my 6 year old son, Cody, who died unexpectedly in 2004 from complications related to his congenital heart disease. Shortly after Cody was buried, millions of 17-year Brood X cicadas emerged in our small southern Indiana town. I spent the following 6 weeks with the cicadas at Cody’s gravesite – an experience that felt unwordly, yet perfectly fitting, too.

In 2021, when the cicadas re-emerged, I visited them once again at Cody’s gravesite, reflecting back on the nearly two decades without my son.

Year of the Cicadas explores parental grief and meaning-making over time through my story, the stories of others, and a broader exploration of how society responds to the loss of a child. The Brood X cicadas are woven throughout the story as a reference to our instinctive connection to nature and are symbolic of the transformation that occurs after we, as humans, experience great tragedies.

Year of the Cicadas will be available on the Meta Quest 2 and 3 and SteamVR later this summer/early fall.

– Kimberly Hieftje, PhD